North America

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North America

North America is a dynamic migration region, with the United States home to more immigrants than any other country in the world, the Mexico-U.S. corridor the globe's top migration corridor, and Canada a leading destination for migrants. Research collected here focuses on everything from visa policy and border management to immigrant integration, national identity, the demographics of immigrants in the region and their educational and workforce outcomes, and ways to more effectively use migration policy as a lever for national and regional competitiveness.

Nearly 2 million of the 4 million-strong Vietnamese diaspora live in the United States, with many having come in the immediate aftermath of the Vietnam War and during the long-running Indochinese refugee crisis. With April 30 marking the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, learn more about the Vietnamese diaspora in the United States and Vietnam's contemporary and historical migration experience.

An estimated 41.3 million immigrants lived in the United States in 2013, about 13 percent of the total U.S. population, constituting the world's largest foreign-born population. This Spotlight from MPI's Jie Zong and Jeanne Batalova offers the most current and sought-after data on immigrants in the United States—including origin, educational attainment, the unauthorized, deportations, and more—in one easy-to-use resource.

MPI has compiled in one easy-to-access location its key research and data resources on issues, policies, enforcement programs, and more that relate to the immigration reform debate underway in Washington.

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There were nearly 40 million temporary admissions to the United States in 2008, more than twice the number in 1990. MPI's Jeanne Batalova outlines the definition of nonimmigrants and takes a detailed look at admissions data and data limitations.

MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on Senator Edward Kennedy's contributions to U.S. immigration policy, the end of arrest quotas in ICE's National Fugitive Operations Program, E-Verify for federal contractors, and more.

Obesity rates among children have risen dramatically in the United States. As analysis of a nationally representative study shows, children of newly arrived immigrants are particularly vulnerable to this growing health problem. Jennifer Van Hook, Kelly S. Balistreri, and Elizabeth Baker report.

Over one million immigrants—one-third from Mexico, India, and the Philippines—became U.S. citizens in 2008. MPI's Jeanne Batalova takes a detailed look at the latest naturalization trends in the United States.

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Recent Activity

This report provides a framework for assessing the legal validity of state legislative measures that address unauthorized immigration. To determine their validity, authors seek to establish whether Congress has preempted the law, and if not, whether these local laws exceed the bounds of constitutional authority by conflicting or interfering with existing federal regulatory regimes.

This report explores the proposed implementation of the Department of Homeland Security’s new guidance which mandates employers who receive “no match” letters to determine the source of the discrepancy, take steps to resolve it within 90 days, and if this isn't possible, terminate the employee.

This report, the product of two workshops held on border management in Belgium and Texas, addresses three arenas of significant change shared by the United States and the European Union: 1) new government organizations for controlling borders; 2) the use of information technology to secure borders; and 3) visa‐free travel policies.

This policy brief analyzes the effectiveness of school language policies across 14 immigrant-receiving countries. It examines various methods countries have adopted to help immigrant students gain proficiency in the language of instruction, identifies contexts that seem to elicit positive outcomes, and provides recommendations.

This report offers an intricate look at the slowdown in remittance growth experienced by Mexico in 2007 by comparing remittance flow figures among Mexican states, and highlights regions that may be particularly vulnerable to risks associated with remittance fluctuations.

This report seeks to capture the extent of the existing need for adult English language instruction services by analyzing the number and characteristics of lawful permanent residents and unauthorized immigrants, and translating these numbers into estimates of service hours and financial costs necessary to advance the language and literacy skills of these immigrants.

In the Spotlight

State Immigration Data Profiles

Want the latest facts and data on immigrants in the United States? Search U.S. Census data on U.S. immigrants and the native born nationally and by state based on demographic, language and education, workforce, and income indicators.

Want the latest estimates and characteristics of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, including those potentially eligible for relief from deportation? Use this innovative data tool to get population estimates and much more—including countries of origin, recency of arrival, educational enrollment and attainment, industries of employment, incomes, English proficiency, and health care coverage—at the national level, by state, and for top counties.